Key Words

Cryogenic:of or relating to low temperaturesHemoglobin: responsible for transporting oxygen in the blood

Technology

Standard Oxygen Tank

Oxygen tanksstore gas for various professions and uses; such as, industrial processes including the manufacturing of steel, welding equipment, liquid rocket propellants for rockets, breathing at higher altitudes, scuba tanks, etc. Oxygen can be delivered from the storage tank in several different ways, including an oxygen mask, nasal cannula (two prongs placed inside the nostrils), full face diving mask, an oxygen tent, or a hyperbaric oxygen chamber (pressure chamber).

Oxygen therapyis a very important device that administers oxygen as a medical intervention. Oxygen therapy can be used in both chronic and acute patient care in the hospital, pre-hospital, or even out of the hospital - all depending on a patient's needs. Supplementary oxygen is a common use for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), commonly seen in long-term smokers. In acute conditions, oxygen may be used for advanced first aid, resuscitation (return to consciousness), trauma, anaphylaxis (allergic reactions), major haemorrage (bleeding), shock, convulsions, or hypothermia. At home, oxygen can be used personally as home therapy to abort cluster headache attacks (a neurological condition involving immense pain, typically to one side of the head).

Oxygen Plant

Oxygen plantsare the modern non-cryogenic gas separation systems. Oxygen plants use the adsorption principle to fixate various gas mixture components using a solid substance called adsorbent. These indoor operation systems are set to effectively produce "gaseous oxygen from atmospheric air".

APulse Oximeter allows the monitoring of the oxygenation of a patient's hemoglobin. A sensor is placed on a thin part of the patient's body, typically a finger or earlobe. Light of two different wavelengths are passed through the patient, to a photodetector measuring the the changing absorbency. Pulsing arterial blood allows the determination of these absorbencies.